Shortly after World War I, Ford and GM created the large modern corporation, with its financial and statistical controls, mass production, and assembly lines. In the 1980s, Toyota stood out for combining quality with continuous refinement. Today, Google is reinventing business yet again—the way we work, how organizations are controlled, and how employees are managed.

Management consultant Bernard Girard has been analyzing Google since its founding in 1998, and now in The Google Way, he explores Google's innovations in depth—many of which are far removed from the best practices taught at the top business schools.

As you read, you'll see how much of Google's success is due to its focus on users and automation. You'll also learn how eCommerce has profoundly changed the relationship between businesses and their customers, for the first time giving customers an important role to play in a major corporation's growth. Finally, Girard speculates about the limits of Google's business model and discusses the challenges it will face as it continues to grow.

Google's culture is one of innovation. Why not make that spirit of innovation your own?

Author Bio

Bernard Girard is the author of several books on management and has consulted for some of the world's best-known firms. He lectures globally on Google's management strategies and ways they can be applied to businesses of all kinds.

Table of contents

Introduction: A Management Breakthrough

PART I: An Unorthodox Corporate SagaChapter 1: Rebels with a CauseChapter 2: The Google Economic Model

PART II: A Formula 1 EngineChapter 3: Three Iconoclasts at the TopChapter 4: Recruiting the BestChapter 5: The 20 Percent RuleChapter 6: Coworkers are the Best JudgesChapter 7: An Innovation MachineChapter 8: Like A Swiss Army KnifeChapter 9: For the Love of Math and MeasurementChapter 10: Keep the Teams Small!Chapter 11: Coordination through TechnologyChapter 12: The Secret is in the Factory

"Many Google books simply provide the information available in the public domain; however, Girard adds to this exclusive primary research and analysis - providing an opinion on Google strategies, how they contribute to its success and how other companies can, or have, adapted these philosophies to their own advantage."—The Register (Read More)

"Girard compiled a wealth of information from many sources (including interviews with former Google employees) to write this book. Even though it's impossible to expect that you can create a company like Google simply by reading it, the book definitely is interesting."—ZDNet (Read More)

"In a nutshell, this book belongs on your bookshelf and is easily worth 5 stars out of 5."—Toolbox for IT (Read More)

"The Google Way is one of the best books I've read on the subject, and probably won't be bested until the co-founders write one themselves, detailing their algorithms."—Basil & Spice (Read More)

"The Google Way is a well thought-out, well-executed book that combines knowledge of the business world with extensive research to describe the rise of a corporate giant. . . I highly recommend this book."—Blogcritics.org (Read More)

"The Google Way was a terrific read. It was quite fascinating to get into the core of how Google does business."—Help Net Security (Read More)

"Should you land an interview soon, here's a question you might hear that's not out of left field: 'What's the last book you read?' Take the time to make it The Google Way."—Dice News (Read More)

"WOW! This is not a simple fan boy fantasy of being taken in by the altruistic company mission statement of 'Do No Evil!'"—The Chi of Jaba B (Read More)

The Google Way "is recommended as a must read not only because of its management and technological utility but also to get a sense of the direction that our immediate future will take."—Desicritics.org (Read More)

"If you are interested in a Google, or have followed their success with glee, as I have, then you will love The Google Way because it gives an intimate insight into the inner workings of the Google Campus."—Utahcon (Read More)

"As Girard points out repeatedly, Google's primary revenue generator is ad sales—and ad sales are automated at Google. That's a lot of faith to place in the machinery, and many readers will find the chapters on making that process user-centric to be the most absorbing in the book."—Betanews (Read More)

"If you find the 'entity' of Google a fascinating topic and want to look 'under the covers,' I think you'll enjoy what Girard has created."—A Million Chimpanzees Blog (Read More)

"This book is a bridge to understanding processes going on in the Internet industry. It will help improve your own company or evaluate other Internet companies."—Alexey's Technical Thoughts (Read More)

"Techies will appreciate seeing where it all began, and may find that the various footnotes and references make for an excellent list of suggested additional reading. Those of us with more of an interest in the human side can pick enough from the pages to become inspired in our own business."—Wisebread (Read More)

"Many of Google's successful innovations are far removed from the 'best practices' of usual business approaches, making this a powerful guide for all kinds of business users and libraries catering to them."—The Midwest Book Review (Read More)

"For those interested in business and management techniques, or a very readable story about a company that touches (one way or another), nearly everyone who uses the Internet — this book is recommended."—Blogcritics (Read More)